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Post by Prince Hal on Sept 13, 2018 11:06:36 GMT -5
Read this when it came out (used to own the hardcover) and his follow up. There are tons of great, amusing stories, about Termite Terrace and the people who worked for Schlessinger and Eddie Selzer (who took over). I have also heard some criticism of Jones, from Bill Menendez, with John Krikfalusi, who said Jones and his animation team could be rather arrogant. For the most part, it seems like the teams and the directors got along; but, there were egos at play. A more comprehensive, outsider perspective would be nice, including his time running his own animation company, when he was making specials for ABC, in the 70s (Cricket in Times Square, A Christmas Carol, etc...). Mel Blanc had a very fun memoir, talking about Jack Benny, Warner Bros and Hanna-Barbera. I read that book by Blanc about a decade or so back. I remember liking it. Pretty sure that I got it out of the library so it's not likely I'll get to it again. Jones is one of those people who, to me, scream for a scholarly biography and don't have one. Jack Kirby is another. Both of them had a huge impact on American culture in the 20th Century. Slam, here's the latest blog post I could find on his site (May 29, 2017) re Mark Evanier's long promised Kirby biography. I could have sworn I'd seen more recent info, but... I'm sure it will be interesting, but given Mark's love of Jack the artist and the person, I'm not sure if it will be entirely objective, either, and thus may not pass muster as scholarly. But we'll see. "Had he been as immortal as his work, Jack Kirby would have been 100 years old on August 28 of this year. Conventions and comic book companies are doing all sorts of things to celebrate the life of this man I had the honor of knowing and working for. Yes, I am still finishing that humongous biography of him that his widow Roz asked me to write decades ago. It was delayed a lot as various Kirby-related legal matters caused her, or after she passed, the family or their lawyers to ask me to stand down for a time. Other matters, some of which you know if you read this blog, slowed things further. But I'm now back completing a book that's too important for me to be rushed for any arbitrary on-sale date. Sometime next year looks very possible. In the meantime, it should not be confused with this year's reissue/upgrade of my 2008 book on Jack, Kirby: King of Comics. The new edition is smaller (page-wise), slightly-longer (one new chapter/update) and has a number of new illustrations."
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 13, 2018 11:18:02 GMT -5
I read that book by Blanc about a decade or so back. I remember liking it. Pretty sure that I got it out of the library so it's not likely I'll get to it again. Jones is one of those people who, to me, scream for a scholarly biography and don't have one. Jack Kirby is another. Both of them had a huge impact on American culture in the 20th Century. Slam, here's the latest blog post I could find on his site (May 29, 2017) re Mark Evanier's long promised Kirby biography. I could have sworn I'd seen more recent info, but... I'm sure it will be interesting, but given Mark's love of Jack the artist and the person, I'm not sure if it will be entirely objective, either, and thus may not pass muster as scholarly. But we'll see. "Had he been as immortal as his work, Jack Kirby would have been 100 years old on August 28 of this year. Conventions and comic book companies are doing all sorts of things to celebrate the life of this man I had the honor of knowing and working for. Yes, I am still finishing that humongous biography of him that his widow Roz asked me to write decades ago. It was delayed a lot as various Kirby-related legal matters caused her, or after she passed, the family or their lawyers to ask me to stand down for a time. Other matters, some of which you know if you read this blog, slowed things further. But I'm now back completing a book that's too important for me to be rushed for any arbitrary on-sale date. Sometime next year looks very possible. In the meantime, it should not be confused with this year's reissue/upgrade of my 2008 book on Jack, Kirby: King of Comics. The new edition is smaller (page-wise), slightly-longer (one new chapter/update) and has a number of new illustrations." I've got that coffee-table book. And it's good for what it is. And I'm sure that Evanier will do a lovely authorized biography with some nice inside information, but he's so close to the subject that it's likely, to the point of almost certainty, to be more hagiography than biography. I'm not saying it absolutely will...and I'll almost certainly read it. But I really feel that Kirby deserves an objective biography. Jones also. And I'm sure there are more if I think about it.
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Post by Prince Hal on Sept 13, 2018 11:56:44 GMT -5
Slam, here's the latest blog post I could find on his site (May 29, 2017) re Mark Evanier's long promised Kirby biography. I could have sworn I'd seen more recent info, but... I'm sure it will be interesting, but given Mark's love of Jack the artist and the person, I'm not sure if it will be entirely objective, either, and thus may not pass muster as scholarly. But we'll see. "Had he been as immortal as his work, Jack Kirby would have been 100 years old on August 28 of this year. Conventions and comic book companies are doing all sorts of things to celebrate the life of this man I had the honor of knowing and working for. Yes, I am still finishing that humongous biography of him that his widow Roz asked me to write decades ago. It was delayed a lot as various Kirby-related legal matters caused her, or after she passed, the family or their lawyers to ask me to stand down for a time. Other matters, some of which you know if you read this blog, slowed things further. But I'm now back completing a book that's too important for me to be rushed for any arbitrary on-sale date. Sometime next year looks very possible. In the meantime, it should not be confused with this year's reissue/upgrade of my 2008 book on Jack, Kirby: King of Comics. The new edition is smaller (page-wise), slightly-longer (one new chapter/update) and has a number of new illustrations." I've got that coffee-table book. And it's good for what it is. And I'm sure that Evanier will do a lovely authorized biography with some nice inside information, but he's so close to the subject that it's likely, to the point of almost certainty, to be more hagiography than biography. I'm not saying it absolutely will...and I'll almost certainly read it. But I really feel that Kirby deserves an objective biography. Jones also. And I'm sure there are more if I think about it. Exactly. I read that other one he wrote, too, and was disappointed b/c his commentary was generic, not much insight considering how well he knew and loved Kirby's art.
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Post by brutalis on Sept 18, 2018 8:22:48 GMT -5
Platinum Magic by Dr. Bruce Davis. A local Phoenix trauma surgeon gone into writing has 2 series he has created. This is book one of a series called Magic Law. I picked this up in the spring during our Phoenix Comic-con along with 2 other books from his other series about a science fiction mercenary/freighter and charter group called the Profit Logbook series.
This is fantasy done as a police procedural with many of our modern miracles translated into magical tools. Cell phones are 2 way magical mirrors. Vehicles are sleds magically driven. Explosives are glass crafted bombs containing fire, water spells. Golems are magically brought to life in stone and fire fueled liquid glass (lava lamps anyone?) and the world is filled with all the usual fantasy types: Elves, Orcs, Humans, Dwarves, etc.
There is th eKing's Agent's composed of humans and dwarves acting as the "police" while Elves are the magically "royal" higher echelon. Orc's are generally the lowest citizen's living on the "Rez" and doing much of the hard work. The idea of Magic Law is that there are 3 types of magic: the 1st is infused magic gifted to all sorts of items like the 2 way mirrors and sleds that anybody can use even if they don't comprehend the magic being used. Then there is the 2nd type which are magic "users" who understand the methods or types of magic and can in a way control or guide the magic. Then he 3rd are the spell casters: those who have the ability and skills inherent to using, creating and containing magic abilities of which most elves fall into this category. Most humans are in category 1 and 2 but some few can fall in to the 3rd.
This book introduces Agent Simon Buckley and Haldron Stonebender who stumble into a supposed illegal Orc bomb factory which is more than it seems. They kill an Elf ruler's sister involved in the case and it turns into a terrorist, political, international plot. The team is assigned a female Elf Ranger as liason who Simon falls in love with during the course of the adventure.
A nice creative venture which plays with the typical fantasy tropes for creating a world resembling our own. The author utilizes the fantasy concepts very well for showcasing the perils and evils of our own lives and worlds in juxtaposition to the fantastical elements of the book. A fairly light read, not overly pretentious or preaching and while enjoying the magical fantasy world it gives you cause to think upon more "human" aspects we might take for granted. Can be bought from Amazon.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 18, 2018 21:33:25 GMT -5
The Cutie by Donald Westlake
Donald Westlake sure does write a good criminal. Here 'Clay' (Born George Clayton) is helping his Syndicate boss unravel a murder that gets laid at his feet, all the while decided whether he really does want to be a Made Man, or if he wants to get married and go respectable.
It was pretty fun following what was really a pretty standard murder mystery, only with the 'detective' being a mafia lieutenant more comfortable as the murderer than the investigator.
The resolution was not the best... the culprit was pretty predictable (though his exact identity was a surprise), and fed into the personal struggles of Clay a little too perfectly. It was also a HUGE leap he made to figure out who did it...either there was some 'off camera' evidence, or Clay gambled his life on a hunch.
While I wouldn't put this one in Parker's class, I could totally see Clay working with Parker on a heist (as long as he doesn't reveal his a Syndicate man, of course).
Also, 'The Mercenaries' is a FAR better title... I get why they changed it and why they went with a cover that fits with the line, but it's WAY out of context (the Cutie referred to the guy setting up the murder 'being cute', not a woman at all), and I honestly have no idea who the girl on the cover is suppose to be... just stock art, I guess.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 19, 2018 5:38:05 GMT -5
The Female of the Speciesby Joyce Carol Oates This is a collection of stories that first appeared in various magazines (mainly mystery and SF) in the early '00s. But these aren't your typical 'tales of mystery and suspense,' as there's no, say, sleuthing, and a few of them verge toward horror. With Oates, you're always getting into the heads of the protagonists more than anything else, and more often than not, the experience is quite unsettling. However, these are very well constructed stories and definitely worth reading.
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Post by Jesse on Sept 19, 2018 15:57:12 GMT -5
Persuaderby Lee Child The seventh book in the Jack Reacher series is also the first told from the first person perspective. Lee Child's descriptive writing gives us a look at the protagonist's analytical mind. Further insight on how he thinks and what drives him. There a few references to previous books and characters but nothing that would stop anyone from enjoying this on it's own. Right away the reader is hooked as Reacher is thrown into a situation where the readers wants to know how he got there and how he's going to get himself out of it. We also get flashbacks that build up throughout the book and connect to the stories villain which eventually reveal why Reacher is doing exactly what he's doing. Fasted-paced action with an interesting plot. I've already started the eight book in the series.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2018 20:15:26 GMT -5
I am revisiting Roger Zelaznys' Chronicles of Amber for the first time in a dog's age (since high school i believe). My first order with the SFBC included the two volume compilation of the Chronicles of Amber with the Boris Vallejo cover... and I cracked the first volume open and read the Nine Princes in Amber over the past few days. I remember liking these a lot, and vaguely remember the reasons why. Upon rereading them,I found I still like them, but for entirely different reasons than I liked them back then. Some of the ingrained attitudes towards gender roles bugged me a bit this time around, but I understand it being a product of its time. After reading so many modern fantasy epics, the first volume felt very short, and that brevity and focus was one of the things I liked, it was a refreshing change. There was also a dearth of excess worldbuilding that was refreshing too. Modern fantasy tends to try to fill in every little detail about the world (a debt we owe Professor Tolkien I believe, but Homer-or the many people who amalgamated into Homer- was just as guilty of this in the Homeric epics as well so the tradition for this is long), but Zelazny only offered a barebones skeleton of a world that was only fleshed out when needed to make the narrative have the context it needed to succeed. That restraint displayed an understanding of the needs of the narrative a lot of modern writers fail to grasp. I like a well-developed world as much as the next reader, but long diversions into superfluous detail that bloat books and distract from or interrupt the narrative are something I could do without having to slog through again. The Guns of Avalon will be next, but I might read a palette cleanser in between. -M
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 22, 2018 14:37:15 GMT -5
This Body's Not Big Enough For Both of Us by Edgar Cantero. Edgar Cantero is rapidly becoming a must-read author. I was very pleasantly surprised by Meddling Kids. While the premise of that book seemed like a no-brainer, it was also a premise that could be easily messed up. While not perfect, Cantero did a very good job with it. So when I saw he was going to do an absurdist neo-noir detective novel I had to read it. A. Kimrean and Z. Kimrean are brother and sister. They're also private eyes. Oh...and they're chimeric twins. Two people (and two sets of DNA) in one body. With wildly divergent personalities. He is logical, cold and misanthropic. She is intuitive and wild and fun. They're bound together in one androgynous skinny body. And they've been called to help on an undercover police officer who is trying to prevent a gang war as someone is killing off the children of a drug lord. Only A.Z. Kimrean can solve the case before a major undercover operation is blown apart in the war. This is a super fun book. Cantero is well versed in hard-boiled detectives and noir and plays with the tropes throughout. He also has a number of tricks that were on display in Meddling Kids that are brought out again here, including periodic fourth wall breaking, occasional lapses into script style writing and the characters sometimes acknowledging they're in a story. At this point it seems clear this is just one of those things that Cantero does. And I'm okay with it. I was a bit concerned that another humorous noir riff so soon after Christopher Moore's Noir might be too much. But it wasn't. Honestly, for as much as I love Moore (and he's one of my go-to authors) I liked this one better. It's a really fun read. And if you're a fan of noir...literary or cinema...it's even better.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 22, 2018 14:43:20 GMT -5
I am revisiting Roger Zelaznys' Chronicles of Amber for the first time in a dog's age (since high school i believe). My first order with the SFBC included the two volume compilation of the Chronicles of Amber with the Boris Vallejo cover... and I cracked the first volume open and read the Nine Princes in Amber over the past few days. I remember liking these a lot, and vaguely remember the reasons why. Upon rereading them,I found I still like them, but for entirely different reasons than I liked them back then. Some of the ingrained attitudes towards gender roles bugged me a bit this time around, but I understand it being a product of its time. After reading so many modern fantasy epics, the first volume felt very short, and that brevity and focus was one of the things I liked, it was a refreshing change. There was also a dearth of excess worldbuilding that was refreshing too. Modern fantasy tends to try to fill in every little detail about the world (a debt we owe Professor Tolkien I believe, but Homer-or the many people who amalgamated into Homer- was just as guilty of this in the Homeric epics as well so the tradition for this is long), but Zelazny only offered a barebones skeleton of a world that was only fleshed out when needed to make the narrative have the context it needed to succeed. That restraint displayed an understanding of the needs of the narrative a lot of modern writers fail to grasp. I like a well-developed world as much as the next reader, but long diversions into superfluous detail that bloat books and distract from or interrupt the narrative are something I could do without having to slog through again. The Guns of Avalon will be next, but I might read a palette cleanser in between. -M I bought those same books in my initial order from the SFBC. I re-read the Chronicles about five or so years back. I agree that they hold up very well. And the nice thing about them is that they avoid the Tolkein Trap...and more egregious the fantasy that is essentially "here's my D&D campaign." They absolutely aren't bloated. Even at five books you're probably on the edge of having the same word-count as a smallish modern trilogy. And while some of the gender politics can seem dated...you need only look at modern politics to determine that maybe it's not as dated as we'd like.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 22, 2018 14:53:05 GMT -5
Modern Masters: Cliff Chiang by Chris Arrant and Eric Nolan-Weathington Twomorrows Modern Masters books follow a very set formula. A long interview with the artist along with copious illustrations and a art gallery at the end. Chiang is one of those current artists whose work I will definitely seek out as I love his style and I really like the fact that he adjusts it a bit to each book or story that he does to suit the work. This is a nice resource for getting his thoughts on his work. I got it on a pretty steep sale from Twomorrows which made it well worth the money.
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Post by brutalis on Sept 24, 2018 8:40:02 GMT -5
The Monster Hunter Files: edited by Larry Correia and Bryan Thomas Schmidt. Just out this week in paperback which I found Friday and devoured over the weekend. 17 author's offering up their stories in the MHI universe. I truly enjoyed these variations to Correia's world. Some really quite funny and some downright violent with what you should expect: big ass ugly monsters being shot all to hell and blown up by the MH squads. Really interesting anthology and worth it alone for the Jim Butcher, Faith Hunter stories and for Agent Franks versus Nazi's in WW2! I highly recommend this one and the entire MHI series if you haven't read it.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 25, 2018 16:07:07 GMT -5
Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory. The Amazing Telemachus Family were briefly a sensation in the 1970s as a family of varied psychic powers. They finally hit the big-time on The Mike Douglas show...where they were "outed" as apparent frauds by an Amazing Randi type character when Maureen Telemachus (the mother) has to leave the stage to comfort Baby Buddy. A couple decades later and the family has fallen on hard times. And the thing is...the family, by and large, actually had psychic powers. Mother Maureen was a very powerful remote-viewer. Daughter Irene can tell when anyone is telling the truth or lying. Frankie is telekinetic..though his powers are spotty, at best. And Buddy...who as a toddler could tell who would win baseball games and pick the numbers on the wheel of fortune, was a very powerful precog, though his powers appear to have left when his mother died. And now there's a new generation of Telemachus' focusing on Matty, Irene's young son. This is a super fun book, particularly if you remember and were keyed into the psychic phenomenon craze of the 70s. The Telemachus family is interesting and dysfunctional and just a tremendous amount of fun to spend time with...even if they aren't all particularly likable. The book is purposefully non-linear looking at the history of the family from the meeting of Teddy and Maureen to the setting point of the book in the 90s. It also looks through the eyes of the remaining members of the Telemachus family. In some ways it's a bit hard to give much more of the plot of the book away. It all ties together and I have to think that author Gregory had to have had a huge flowchart mapping the history of the family. And there are a number of plotlines that thread through the book, including at least one very long con. Highly recommended.
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Post by Duragizer on Sept 25, 2018 23:34:23 GMT -5
Duel: Terror Stories by Richard MathesonThere are 18 stories in this collection, eight of which I read. Now, this isn't the first time I've read Matheson's work, and I've enjoyed most of what I've read before, but I'm not at all impressed with this selection. First of all, I bought this book expecting a collection of horror stories, not a collection of one horror story alongside a bunch of straight sci-fi stories. Perhaps I could overlook that if those sci-fi stories were good, but they're mostly average, and pretty dated, at that. I started a number of books this past year, but finished very few. This one won't be among those few.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2018 20:45:42 GMT -5
Stopped by our local Half Price Books today and scored a bunch of vintage PBS in their collector paperback section for $3 each, setting myself up for a pile of fun winter reading-most are based on vintage sci-fi TV or movies... first a trio of Burroughs books with Frazetta covers and a Lovecraft anthology I didn't have (though I likley had most of the stories in it) I'd been hankering to revisit some vintage Doctor Who novels though those I had were long gone, so I snagged these when I saw them... and more to revisit... I read the Lando books in high school, and I read most of the Black Hole novelization in grade school, but I brought it with me on a Boy Scout camping trip and it rained buckets that weekend, destroying the book before I finished it. Soon I will correct that... and finally a property I have only barely touched upon but have always been interested in, so I couldn't pass these up... I will likely dive in to some of these as soon as I finish Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. Bring on the long winter nights now, I've got plenty of books to curl up with under a blanket and with the dog at my feet. -M
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